Art From Above

An original Rothko sells for millions.(Pic #5) This artist gives his work away. On the other hand, while Rothko has millions of fans, this artist’s work is seen by tens of millions — every day. Meet Google Maps. The piece above is actually a screen grab from a Google Maps search of the area just outside Taft, California. It actually depicts a small section of one of the many farms in that agricultural town.

My point is this: If even for a second, you opened your mind to the possibility that this was an undiscovered masterpiece, then you can accept that there are beautiful pieces of artthat you overlook every day. The images on this page are pictures of the Earth’s surface, taken with the aid of an orbiting satellite. In August of 1959, the first American automated spacecraft “Explorer 6″ took the first photograph of our planet from above. It was the very beginning of satellite imagery. Today, over 2000 sats orbit the atmosphere — taking pictures — and making art.